CM Punk just did something fans don’t see every day — he gave major props to Seth Rollins.
Appearing on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike alongside his wife, AJ Lee, the WWE World Champion stepped outside storyline rivalries and spoke candidly about the rise of independent wrestlers in WWE. In doing so, he even compared Rollins’ journey to his own. Punk admitted he feels conflicted discussing his impact because of how it can be perceived.
“Gosh, I’m conflicted when I talk about this stuff because then people will point and say, ‘oh, you’re egotistical, you’re this, you’re that.’ The truth of the matter is, the first guy through the wall gets bloodied. I was the first guy through the wall. Independent wrestling was looked down upon. It was the land of the giants.”
He reflected on not fitting the traditional WWE mold.
“I have to the casual observer some pretty ridiculous tattoos, but like everything else, tattoos are subjective. I wasn’t supposed to make it as far as I did, but I would not be denied.”
Punk then shifted the conversation toward helping the next generation break through the same barriers.
“There are many more men and women that are just like that, that they bet on themselves, they believe in themselves, but they don’t have a look that fits a certain person’s idea of what a pro wrestler is. And that was definitely me. So being able to try to always reach down and pull up the next generation, or you know, I’m not pulling the ladder up. I’m trying to help other people get here.”
That’s when he brought up Seth Rollins — one of his most heated rivals — as a prime example of that evolution.
“I think Seth Rollins is a great example of that. You know, he’s a guy that fit the same mold as I did. He didn’t have the size. You wouldn’t look at him and be like, oh yeah, he’s a world champion.”
Then came the line that likely surprised plenty of fans.
“And now he’s multiple time, you know, heavyweight champion. And one of the, it pains me to say it, but he’s one of the greatest superstars over the last 10, 12 years.”
Rollins, who built his name on the independent circuit and in Ring of Honor before signing with WWE in 2010, has gone on to become a multi-time world champion and one of the company’s most decorated performers of the modern era. For Punk to publicly acknowledge that — especially given their history — marks a rare moment where rivalry took a backseat to respect.
Do you think CM Punk and Seth Rollins will ever fully bury the hatchet on screen, or does this off-camera respect make their rivalry even more compelling? Share your thoughts below.